I added a Trustfire F20 to a Manafont order I made recently:
My previous experience with my AA/14500 Ultrafire C3 had been rather dissapointing due to poor performance and reliability. I liked the aesthetics of the F20 so I ordered it fintending to do the XM-L Mod. On receiving the F20, I tested with the stock emitter and found the XR-E performance to be similar to that of the C3; like the C3, brightness on alkaline cells was abysmal, and not worth the size/weight tradeoff when used with the 14500s.
A few tips about modding this light:
- Don't remove the tailcap! Always remove the head to swap cells...
- Don't attempt to remove the driver!
The red circuit board with contacts is just a cover over the factory driver that is soldered and then pressed in place. Also, this isn't the easiest mod as you have to solder the new emitter inside a 16mm cup where there is barely room for tweezers to hold the wire in place while you solder... The light from Manafont has the good 5-mode driver that can handle both AA and 14500 voltages.
I replaced the factory XR-E emitter with one of my $4.50 Jolly Green Dino U2 XM-Ls which fit perfectly into the pill. Now this light is much more impressive as a pocket/AA-sized light. Brightness on Alkalines isn't overwhelming, but it's nice having the option since I won't always have access to my LiIon charger. Brightness on 14500s is fantastic! It's a very floody beam, but is still bright enough to illuminate a considerable distance. On high with Trustfire 14500 flames, I measured 2A at the tailcap (Don't remove the tailcap!). The solid pill design transfers heat to the body of the light very well, as the unit gets warm very quickly on high.
Here's the light I used - $11.09:
http://www.manafont.com/product_info.php/trustfire-f20-q4-5mode-memory-led-flashlight-1aa-p-5499
...and the Trustfire Protected 14500 cells which fit perfectly - $6.12/pair:
Now for the bonus info!
DX has both SMO and OP reflectors for this light. In my parts box, I had an 18mm OP reflector from DX I had ordered for another project that never got started. I discovered that this reflector was the exact same size as the factory F20 reflector, but with a different and more subdued OP finish. I used this in the F20 and got a very nice beam. Less messy than an SMO but not quite as diffused as with the normal OP. I want to buy the SMO version next and see if I can get a bit more throw from this light.
The reflector pics on the DX page show threads, but mine did not have the threads, and DX posts confirm that other buyers got the unthreaded version as well. You may not get the exact same OP finish as my reflector per the pics either, so buy at your own risk:
OP Reflector - $2.10/each:
http://dx.com/p/18-5mm-textured-aluminum-reflector-5951
OP Reflector - $5.20/4:
http://dx.com/p/18mm-12mm-aluminum-textured-op-reflector-for-cree-led-emitters-4-pack-14598
SMO Reflector - $2.22/each:
http://dx.com/p/18-5mm-smooth-aluminum-reflector-5960
<edit>Corrected link/pricing to point to the protected Trustfire cells...
<Edit: I just ordered both the SMO and OP reflector I linked to above, and it turns out that DS shipped reflectors with threads, like shown on the photos. These do not fit the TrustFire F20.>
<Edit 11/17/14: I just noticed that yesterday was the two-year anniversary of my posting this write-up here. I'm still using this light as my EDC without any changes made since I posted this. The light has held up very well. The anodizing is worn slightly, but not extremely so. Unforutunately, Manafont has closed up shop, but this light is still available from other sellers.>